Themes in Kafkas free essay sample

Themes in Frank Kafkas â€Å"Metamorphosis† Franz Kafkas â€Å"Metamorphosis† is a story about a man who awakes one morning to find himself transformed into a giant bug. This metamorphosis causes a clash between the main character Gregor Samsa and his family which in turn creates major changes in all characters. Kafka utilizes many themes in the story including change, isolation, power and money. These themes aid in making the story vague, while retaining a sense of lucidity. One main theme in the story is change. Gregor Samsas reality changes only mildly, despite his radical physical transformation. Prior to his mutation, Gregor’s life was consumed with his work as a traveling salesman in addition to taking care of his family. A boring life, dominated by providing for his family, much like a bug provides for his nest or hive. He describes his life as the plague of traveling: the anxieties of changing trains, the irregular, inferior meals, the ever changing faces, never to be seen again, people with whom one has no chance to be friendly (Kafka 13). We will write a custom essay sample on Themes in Kafkas or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The real metamorphosis occurs when he realizes his present situation, and his role in his household. Gregor does not change into a bug; he simply recognizes that he has been one for quite some time. This sudden epiphany could certainly send him into a shock that causes a mental sickness, eventually leading to his death. From the very beginning the setting creates an atmosphere of isolation, a major theme in the story. â€Å"Gregor’s room is at the center of the Samsa family’s apartment, with one wall facing the outside, the opposite wall bordering on the living room, and the two side walls shared with the bedroom of Gregor’s parents and his sister respectively. Each of these walls has an egress onto the world: the outside wall has a window, and the other walls have doors leading to the adjacent rooms. These doors, however – and in particular the double-door that opens into the living room – are not simple entranceways into the communal realm of the family; rather, they symbolize precisely that contradictory complex of merger with and separation from the family that each section of the narrative enacts. These doors function not only as passageways but also as barriers – indeed, ultimately they are impenetrable barriers. (Gray 286) After his transformation, Gregor is completely isolated. He realizes that it’s not much different than his life previous life, as the job to which he has been so dedicated, shows their disloyalty to him. â€Å"Moreover, it turns out that Gregor works for a firm that does not trust its employees at all: because he is late this one day, the chief clerk shows up to check on him and begins hinting that he is suspected of embezzling funds and may very well be fired† (Smith 193). His family alienates him as well. Grete, his younger sister, is the only one who helps him. She was scared but managed to put her apprehensions aside, even getting angry with others for trying to help. After her acceptance as role of caretaker, the other members of Gregors family do not associate with him. No one attempted to understand him, no one, not even his sister, imagined that she could understand him(Kafka 45). As an insect, he can still hear, however, so he knows what others want, but they cannot know what he wants. This seems an apt situation for Gregor to end up in, because his life even before his transformation seems to have been one of catering to others’ needs while suppressing his own. Before long, Gregor settles on the fact that throughout his metamorphosis he has neither lost nor gained anything. Even his unsettling dreams the morning of his mutation symbolize a troubled life before his metamorphosis. He is expressing his feelings of a lack of fulfillment and it shows a layer of him otherwise hidden. The actual metamorphosis symbolizes a rebellion assertion of unconscious desires and energies (Eggenschwiler 203). His mother and father treat him as a monster, instead of their son who is in need of help and support, just like they neglected their parental roles before his transformation, allowing him to take on all of their responsibilities. Although in some ways the transformation reinforces Gregor’s alienation from the world, in other ways becoming an insect is a way for him to escape his unhappy life. No longer will he have to work at his burdensome job, or care for his family who do not return the same care or respect. Gregor is not the only one to go through a drastic change in the story. His mother, sister and father also transform in ways not easily defined by outward appearance. This leads to the second major theme of the book, power. Power is both gained and surrendered by all members of the Samsa family at different points in the story. Before his transformation, Gregor holds the power as the man of the house. He earns the money to pay rent, provide food, and dig his family out of the overwhelming debt his mother and father have gotten into. After his transformation, Gregor loses this authority, basically imprisoned in his room, unable to attend to the responsibilities he once had. Gregor’s humanity, to the extent that his parents and sister acknowledge it, is inextricably tied to his function as economic provider† (Bloom 60). His father, however, gains power as he takes on the role as head of household. He is consumed by the family’s financial burden from the first day after Gregor’s mutation. He now finds the strength to find employme nt, something he was too ill to do while Gregor provided for the family. Interestingly, he can only regain his power after Gregor himself, the self-sacrificing, downtrodden one, is dead. This suggests that the presence of a self-sacrificing person drains those around him. Gregor sees his father after some time has passed since his transformation and asks, â€Å"Was this the same man who in the old days used to lie wearily buried in bed when Gregor left on a business trip; who greeted him on his return in the evening, sitting in his bathrobe in the armchair, who actually had difficulty getting to his feet† (Kafka 36)? Although Gregor has the most obvious transformation, it seems Grete, his younger sister, changes the most throughout the story, many of these changes involving her own power and standing in the family. At first she takes on the role as his caretaker, bringing him food, cleaning his room and trying to make him as comfortable as possible in his room. She is his only tie to his family and really his only link to humanity. She gains the consideration of her parents, who once considered her quite useless. â€Å"Often he heard them say how much they appreciated his sister’s work, whereas until now they had frequently been annoyed with her† (Kafka 29). She however takes on her own transformation, from girl to woman. With this change, her pity for Gregor diminishes. When at first she had helped Gregor out of kindness, eventually she comes to regard the job as a chore. She doesn’t always enjoy it, but it serves to define her position in the family, and she becomes territorial about this power she has gained, not wanting her mother to be involved. As she matures and takes on more adult responsibilities, most notably getting a job to help provide for her family financially, her commitment to Gregor diminishes. Grete tells her parents, â€Å"We must try to get rid of it† (Kafka 49). Eventually she comes to resent the burden of what Gregor has become and it s Grete who decides they must get rid of â€Å"it†. While not as prominent as the other themes, but in correlation with power, the theme of money weaves a path through the story. Gregor is enslaved to his family because he is the only one who makes money. With the exception of his sister, the family seems to treat him not as a son, but as a source of income. When Gregor is no longer able to work after his metamorphosis, he is treated with revulsion and neglect. Once the family begins working, they also find difficulty communicating with each other, eating dinner in silence and fighting amongst themselves. The exhaustion brought on by dehumanizing jobs and the recognition that people are only valuable so long as they earn a salary keeps them isolated from one another and unable to create real connections. This story has limited depth if the reader only takes it for its literal meaning and fails to read between the lines to discover the themes included. The reader must delve deeper into the story in order to understand it completely. Kafka kept this story compelling with the inclusion of these themes and other symbolism.

Using the Latin Intensive Pronoun Ipse (Self)

Using the Latin Intensive Pronoun ''Ipse'' (''Self'') When learning Latin, intensive pronouns function much as they do in English, intensifying the action or the noun they modify. For example, in English, we might say, The experts themselves say so. The intensive pronoun themselves  intensifies the noun experts, with the implication that if the emphasized experts say so, it must be correct. The intensive pronoun in the following Latin sentence,  Antonius  ipse  me laudavit,  means Anthony himself praised me. In both Latin ipse and English himself, the pronoun intensifies or emphasizes the noun. Ipso Facto The expression ipso facto is the best-known remnant in English of the Latin intensive pronoun. In Latin,  ipso  is masculine and in agreement with facto. Its in the ablative case (ablative indicates that a thing or person is being used as an instrument or tool by another and is translated as by or by means of). Thus ipso facto means by that very fact or act; as an inevitable result. A Few Rules There are a few generalizations we can make about Latin intensive pronouns: They intensify (thus, their name) the function or the noun they modify.Latin intensive pronouns  typically translate as the English -self pronouns: myself, yourself, herself, himself, itself in the singular and ourselves, yourselves and themselves in the plural.  But they  can also translate in English as the very... as in  femina ipsa...  (the very woman as an alternative to the woman herself).Latin intensive pronouns double as adjectives  and take the same form when doing so.   Intensive vs. Reflexive Intensive pronouns are often confused with Latin reflexive pronouns, but the two types of pronouns  have different functions. Latin reflexive pronouns  and adjectives (suus, sua, suum) show possession and translate as his or her own, its own, and their own. The reflexive pronoun must agree with the noun it describes in gender, number, and case, and the pronoun always refers back to the subject. Intensives emphasize other words besides the subject. This means that reflexive pronouns can never be nominative. Intensive pronouns, on the other hand, do not indicate possession. They intensify and they can be any case, including nominative. For example: Intensive pronoun:  Praefectus honores civibus ipsis dedit.  (The prefect bestowed/gave honors on/to the citizens themselves.)Reflexive pronoun:  Praefectus honores sibi dedit.  (The prefect bestowed/gave honors on/to himself.) Declension of Latin Intensive Pronouns   Singular (by case and gender: masculine, feminine, neuter) Nominative:  ipse, ipsa, ipsumGenitive:  ipsius, ipsius, ipsiusDative:  ipsi, ipsi, ipsiAccusative:  ipsum, ipsam, ipsumAblative:  ipso, ipsa, ipso Plural (by case and gender: masculine, feminine, neuter) Nominative: ipsi, ipsae, ipsaGenitive: ipsorum, ipsarum, ipsorumDative: ipsis, ipsis, ipsisAccusative: ipsos, ipsas, ipsaAblative: ipsis, ipsis, ipsis

Historical Criticism of Graham Greene's The Power and the Glory Essay

Historical Criticism of Graham Greene's The Power and the Glory - Essay Example Vol I). Sherry also informs us that as a young boy of 14 he suffered at the boarding school. His acquaintances and his experiences were shaping a mind which paralleled the tumultuous time he lived in. He ran away from home. And was sent for psychoanalysis. In 1925, he met Vivien Dayrell-Browning. A Roman Catholic conver, Vivien molded him toward Roman Catholicism, to which he got converted at the age of 26. His religious belief followed a trajectory vividly depicted in his catholic tetralogy: "Brighton Rock" (1938), "The Power and the Glory" (1940), "The Heart of the Matter" (1948), and "The End of the Affair" (1951). In fact, Greene's life is a reflection of the saga of Roman Catholic Church at that time. As Mark Bosco says that Greene's writings represent different phases of his Catholic sensibility. He emerges mature with liberation theology after Vatican Council II (Bosco 115-117). The novel draws parallels with T.S. Elliot's poem "The Hollow Men". The hollow men wander in a barren landscape, trying to remember the line after "For Thine is the Kingdom" in the Lord's Prayer. The phrase happens to be "the Power and the Glory" (Ways of Escape 65-68). Not only the theme, but even the milieu and the settings set Greene's novels apart. "The Quiet American" is set in the Vietnam of the early 50s, "The Heart of the Matter" is set in West Africa, "Our Man in Havana" in Cuba, "The Honorary Consul in Paraguay/Argentina. Greene was a globe-trotter. From Africa to Asia to Latin America, he had his share of experiences everywhere. A man who wrote "England Made Me", Greene spent the last 25 years of his life in exile in France. This is not surprising then to find that all but a few of his post-war novels are set outside Britain. His authorized biographer Norman Sherry suffered tropical diabetes in Liberia, dysentery in Mexico and intestinal gangrene in Paraguay in the course of his research. Sherry links Greene's constant urge to be on the move to his escapist tendency and an escape from the responsibilities of life (Sherry 350-354 Vol. I). His penchant for travels also stems from his love for Joseph Conard. Mr. Greene suddenly becomes a character out of the Conrad stories he admired. He exposes himself to all sorts of pain and jeopardy. He explores hitherto unpenetrated jungles. He climbs mountains, crosses wild and unbridged rivers, endures the pain and vulnerability of tropical sicknesses. He looks everywhere, it seems, listens with respect to the most obscure of his fellow human beings and thereby not only learns about and from others, but finds the direction of his own life's compass (Coles). Like his shifting destinations during the course of frequent travels, Greene's faith too followed a shifting trajectory. Today Catholicism is once again the topic of discussion thanks to Dan Brown's murder mystery "The Da Vinci Code." Before Brown's best-seller, Catholicism as a theme of a novel was a strange idea for the readers. As Lawson makes us believe: Today, Catholicism, wanderlust and expatriation all lack the attraction they had for writers in Greene's time. The centre of gravity of

Organizational Innovation and Change D5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Organizational Innovation and Change D5 - Essay Example In an aim of expanding the organization and giving it a global image the bank has invested realized its social responsibility. It has invested in charity events and in the effort of improving the needless in society it has vented into Africa and Asia (Zell, 2008). The bank has been involved in the motivation of their employees. The bank has developed a culture in which the welfare of the employees is paramount. They have end month fan fairs and they pay their employees well. All employees are insured and housed or given house allowances. This intern increases the employees’ commitment (Tushman, 2006). The customers get satisfied due to good public relation; it is able to expand due to a large client base. The bank has also has also invested into technology and allows great idea this is there reason to its expansion. There are regulations that drive the financial sector consolidates is the result of 60 percent growth in terms of shares and asset. There banks vision statement has been realized to a percentage. The success is due to an organized team. The bank has portrayed the essence of the vision statement and how it’s used to drive the company forward. The bank has invested heavily and employed expertise to enable their success (Beerman, 2005). The vision statement should be the one driving a company towards the

Marketing Plan of Nike Essay Example for Free

Marketing Plan of Nike Essay The world has a long, rich history of international trade among nations. Most international trade dates from the prevailing age of mercantilism. However, objecting mercantilism is the common idea of trade philosophies proposed by Adam Smith and David Ricardo. Both of them advocated free international trade. The rule of the zero-of-sum game was the core of mercantilism. One country increased the wealth must cause another one decreased from trade. Only one could be beneficial. They thought exports could bring inflows of wealth from and imports could lead outflows of wealth to other countries. It was this thought that each country encouraged exports and restricted imports. 1? The Classical Trade Theory (1) Theory of Adam Smith: Absolute Advantage Adam Smith set himself against the mercantilism. He advocated free trade and proposed the absolute advantage theory. In his theory, each country had its own advantage for producing goods which other country did not possess. It was this that stimulated countries to participate in the international trade by exerting the absolute advantage to obtain more benefits. Adam Smith made two assumptions: First, trade only existed between two countries. Second, each country produced only two products, one product must have absolute advantage, and the other product must have absolute disadvantage. Therefore, each country should concentrate on producing the product with absolute advantage, and then trade the absolute disadvantage product to the other country with the absolute advantage product. After trading, the disengaged, surplus resources and products of each country could be used completely reasonable. Thus, both countries can be beneficial from the trade, not just one. This pulled down the rule of zero-of-sum game and created the rule of n-of-sum game. Adam Smith’s absolute advantage theory successfully promoted the international trade. However, this theory did not deal with the problem that for both two products, one country had absolute advantages and the other country had absolute disadvantages. (2) Theory of David Ricardo: Comparative Advantage Fortunately, another famous economist David Ricardo succeeded and developed Adam Smith’s theory. Just like Adam Smith, David Ricardo also was an opponent of protectionism for national economies. He created his comparative advantage theory. The theory dealt with the problem that could not be dealt using Adam Smith’s theory. The economic motives and causes international trade. According to Ricardos theory, even if a country has no absolute advantage in any product, the disadvantaged country can still be beneficial from specializing in and exporting the product for which it has the lowest opportunity cost of production. Though the two theories were proposed hundreds of years, they still play important influences on international trade. Each trading country can improve productivity and the world economic is promoted. The two theories will contribute to world prosperity in the future. 2? The Modern Trade Theory Comparative advantage based on opportunity cost forms the basis of modern trade theory. The theory shows that after comparing, when the country decides to produce its advantage product, it needs to give up the other product that can come forth during the period. The benefit form the product it gives up is its opportunity cost. Here I take a simple example to illustrate this theory. The land for planting rice or cotton, the output of rice is 500 kilogram or 100 kilogram of cotton. If we choose to plant rice, the 100 kilogram of cotton we give up is our opportunity cost. Today, the practice of trade among nations is growing by leaps and bounds. There is hardly a person on earth who has not been influenced in some way by the growing trade among nations. The theories stimulate trade between developed and developing countries that avoid the autarky. International trade increases trading countries’ wealth and world output. That is because with trade, the resources are allocated rationally, job opportunity increase, products quality and variety increase and so on.

Great Gatsby Essay :: essays research papers

The Great Gatsby Essay   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In The Great Gatsby, there are three illicit relationships: Gatsby and Daisy, Nick and Jordan, and Tom and Myrtle. In some ways they are similar, and in some ways each is unique. In this essay, I will compare and examine each of the couples, and try to give some insight as to why none of the relationships worked out.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The relationship between Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan was probably the most one sided. The entire time they were apart, all Gatsby did was try to reach his goal, which was Daisy. When you think about somebody but don’t talk to them for a long time, you can build them up to be this perfect person. So when Gatsby and Daisy talked for the first time in years, it was almost like he was talking to a famous movie star. Daisy didn’t feel that way. She used to love him, but not anymore.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Also, if Gatsby and Daisy met under other circumstances, such as each of them having no money and Daisy not being married, their relationship may have worked out. But because of the circumstances, their relationship was doomed to fail.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Of all of the relationships, I think that the most honest was between Nick Carraway and Jordan Baker. This is ironic because it was Jordan’s compulsive dishonesty that ruined the relationship. They weren’t secretly seeing each other behind other people’s backs, they weren’t unfaithful to each other, and they both cared for each other. Nick saw Jordan’s dishonesty as a major flaw in her personality, and he didn’t think she was worth it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Out of all of the relationships, Tom Buchanan and Myrtle Wilson’s was the most the most superficial. Neither had true feelings for the other, they were just there to amuse themselves.

Financial Accounts The Assignment Liam O’Brady

Financial Accounts The Assignment Liam O’Brady owns a business selling musical instruments. The following trial balance has been extracted from the books of account at 31 October 2012. DrCr Bank balance19281 Capital balance as at 1 November 201161489 Carriage inwards480 Carriage outwards2110 Discounts664811 Drawings28650 Fixtures and fittings – at cost62200 Fixtures and fitting – provision for depreciation27990 General expenses7436 Insurance1158 Purchases and sales129745206543 Rent and rates10926 Returns375619 Inventory at 1 November 201148560Accounts receivable and payable1128516407 Wages and salaries29551 333140333140 Additional information: W ages owing to employees at the period end amounted to ? 830. The accountants invoice for preparing the full accounts is expected to be ? 720 Liam plays drums as a hobby. During the year, he took various items from the business for his own use. The items had a cost price of ? 1760 The landlord charges a total of ? 8000 pe r annum and the local authority levies rates at ? 2400 per annum. Included in Accounts Receivable is an invoiced amount of ? 207.This has been outstanding for almost 12 months, and Liam accepts that it will not be paid. He also anticipates that 5% of the Accounts Receivable balance might not be paid. He thinks that provision should be made for this now. Liam has recently discovered a small number of invoices which he paid for with his personal credit. Card. They total ? 642 and are mostly for materials used to repair the shop counter. Depreciation is to be provided on fixtures and fittings at 20% per annum using the straight line basis. During the year, Liam purchased a light van for ? 4200.This is to be included in the business and depreciation provided at 25% per annum using the reducing balance basis. Stocks as at 31 October 2012 According to the stock records as at 7 November 2012, the stock, valued at cost, came to ? 55630. During November sales of ? 3225 were recorded, as were purchases of ? 2300. The following matters also need to be taken into consideration: Eight classical guitars costing ? 220 each need to be repaired before they can be sold. It is expected that each guitar will cost ? 35 to repair and that they can then be sold for ? 260 each. Two drum kits, costing ? 00, would normally sell for ? 1200. They have been â€Å"on sale† at ? 1175 each for several months. It is decided to drop the sale price even further to ? 975 each and to re-skin some of the drums at a total cost of ? 130. According to the stock records, there are 27 recorders, with a value of ? 4 each. The stock-take revealed that there were only 22 recorders. G hjkjhlhljhjn Liam O’BradyRequired tasks Task 1 Review the additional information items and prepare the journals that will be required. Each journal is to include a brief description indicating why it is required. Task 2Stock is to be valued in accordance with accepted accounting practice. State what the standard practice is. Prepare a memorandum note for Liam O’Brady explaining any adjustments you propose to make to the stated stock value (? 55630). State the final stock value that you propose to use. Show any workings. Task 3 Using the information given above prepare the Income Statement (Trading, profit and loss account) for the year ended 31 October 2012 and Statement of Financial Position (Balance sheet) as at 31 October 2012 Task 4 Liam O’Brady has used a manual accounting system for several years.After meeting with fellow businessmen at a local Chamber of Commerce workshop, he is now thinking about computerising the accounts and sales control aspects of his record systems. He is asking for your comments / advice about the matter. After carrying out suitable research, you are to prepare a formal report for Mr O’Brady which identifies possible advantages and disadvantages of computerising the accounts function. You are not required to identify, or be familiar with, any particular accounting software package that is in the marketplace. SUBMISSION DATE:Thursday 14 January 2013